


Not Half Bad

by SugdenLovesDingle



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas Fluff, M/M, Roblivion bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 15:44:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8897788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugdenLovesDingle/pseuds/SugdenLovesDingle
Summary: based on a tumblr prompt asking for some Rob/Liv bonding





	

“Right.” Robert said looking over his papers. “I think we’ve just about covered everything.”

“Apart from the costs.” The woman sitting on the other side of the desk said. “My company cannot do business with Home James with the numbers we’re looking at now.”

“We agreed on these numbers in our last meeting.” Robert reminded her.

“No, I said I would consider them, and I have, and I’ve come to the conclusion that they won’t work.”

Robert sighed. This was supposed to be a done deal. In and out in 10 minutes.

“I think-“ He was interrupted by the latest Little Mix song blasting from his phone and mentally cursed Liv for changing his ringtone again. “Sorry about that.” He said, declining the call without looking who it was. They’d call back.

The woman gave him an amused look.

“Little Mix fan are you?”

“My sister. She keeps changing my ringtone to mess with me. I usually have it on silent during meetings, I apologise.”

“Don’t worry about it. My daughter is a big fan, she plays those songs 24/7. I’m used to it.” The woman said, suddenly looking a lot friendlier.

Robert wanted to reply but was interrupted by his ringtone again. He checked the screen and frowned when he saw Liv School was calling him.

“I’m sorry, I have to take this. Excuse me.” He said and got up and left the room to answer the call. “Robert Sugden.”

“Yes, hello, this is Peter Williams, I’m a caretaker at Hotton High School, I’m looking for Olivia Flaherty’s guardian?”

“Yes, speaking. What has she done now? How much trouble is she in?”

“Oh no, no trouble. She’s ah.. sick. Her friend Gabrielle Thomas brought her to my office about 20 minutes ago.. I think she had a panic attack in PE. Gabrielle has calmed her down but I think it’s best if she went home for the day.”

“Panic attack? Right.. uhm I’m on my way. I’ll be there in half an hour.” Robert said and hung up before going back into the office. “I’m sorry, I have to go. Family emergency.”

“Oh. That’s unfortunate.” The woman replied as she watched Robert gather his papers and stuff them in his bag.

“Yes. I’m really sorry but my sister is sick and she needs picking up from school. I’ll call your office later to reschedule this meeting.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“What?”

“Draw up the contracts and have them on my desk by the end of this week and you’ve got yourself a deal, mister Sugden.”

“But what about the numbers?”

“I took another look at them while you took that call. I think we can make things work like this.”

“Right. Ok. That’s great. I promise I’ll drop them off myself.”

The woman nodded and shook his hand.

“It’s a pleasure doing business with you, mister Sugden. And I hope your sister will be alright.”  
  
***

Robert pulled up to the school about 20 minutes later and parked his car in the first open space he saw. There would probably be at least one speeding ticket waiting for him in a few days but he couldn’t care less right now.

“Hi, I’m here to pick up Olivia Flaherty.” He told the first adult he saw. “I spoke to a Peter Williams on the phone.”

“Robert, over here.”

He turned around and saw Gabby waving him over to a small office near the school’s entrance.

“Hey, where is she? Is she alright?”

“In here. I’ve calmed her down. We tried Aaron first but his phone is switched off.”

Robert nodded.

“Yeah he had an appointment.” He said and followed Gabby into the office.

Liv was sitting in a chair, a mug of tea in her hands, her face red and blotchy from crying.

“Hey, what happened?” Robert said, kneeling down in front of her.

Liv shrugged and stared at her tea.

Robert looked at Gabby for help.

“Everything was fine until we got to PE. She forgot her kit at home and I told her she could borrow mine because I had an extra shirt in my locker anyway. And then she freaked out.”

“Did you get in trouble for forgetting your kit?” Robert asked Liv who shook her head.

“I just.. I just want to go home.”

“Alright, we can do that.” He said, getting up. “Do you have everything or do you need to get stuff from your locker?”

“My coat..”

“I’ll get it, I know your locker combination.” Gabby said and left the office.

“Hi, uhm, I’m Peter Williams, we spoke on the phone.” A man, Robert guessed to be about his age, maybe slightly younger, said as he extended his hand to him.

Robert shook his hand.  
  
“Right, yes, thanks for calling me. Do I need to sign anything to take her home or are we good to go?”

“Ah no I’ll just put in the computer that she got sick and was picked up by her..”

“Brother.”

Peter looked back and forth between Robert and Liv a few times and apparently decided Robert’s answer satisfied him enough to let him take the girl.

“Alright. Well I hope you feel better soon, Liv.” He said as Gabby came back with Liv’s coat.

“Thanks.” Liv mumbled and put it on and grabbed her bag.

“I’ll text you tonight, yeah?” Gabby said and hugged her friend.

Liv nodded and started walking towards the school’s front door.

“So you want to tell me what happened?” Robert asked quickly glancing at the girl in the passenger’s seat of his car after a few minutes of silence.

“I don’t know..” Liv sighed and started fiddling with the radio.

“Are you being bullied?” Robert tried

“No.”

“So why did you get so upset over your PE kit?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t know, Rob.” Liv said, finally looking at him. “Why are you so dressed up?”

“Work. I was in a meeting when your school called me.”

“Oh. Sorry. Gabby told them to call Aaron but he’s not answering his phone.”

“I know. He’s at a meeting with his counsellor.”

“What?”

“He’s been going again for a few weeks now. After everything that’s happened the past year. The accident and everything..”

Liv nodded.

“Don’t tell him you know though, he doesn’t want anyone to know and worry about him.”

“I won’t. He’s alright though isn’t he?”

“Yeah, yeah he will be.”

“Do you have to go back to work now?” Liv asked a few minutes later.

“Not really. I was going to head to the yard after my meeting but I can work from home too.”

“Can we go to the Mill instead? You have the keys, right?”

“Yeah.. Aaron and I picked them up yesterday.”

“Have you been inside yet?”

Robert nodded.

“Just for a bit. It wasn’t as badly damaged as we thought it would be.”

“So we can move in soon?”

“I don’t know. It still needs a lot of work. Maybe by my birthday we can move in. Or yours.”

“The sooner the better.”

“Yeah, with you on that one.” Robert agreed. “Is that what’s bothering you? That we’re all still living at the pub?”

“No.. Yes.. I don’t know. It doesn’t help I guess.”

“You know you can talk to me, right? I know I’m not always your favourite person in the world but if you need to talk.. I’ll listen.”

“I know. And you’re not half bad really.”

***

“It’s a dump.” Liv said, looking around what was supposed to be the living room in Mill Cottage.

“Yeah. For now. But just picture how it will look this time next year. A Christmas tree near the window here. And we can put that fake snow stuff on the window. And we can host the family Christmas dinner. The three of us could cook together.” Robert said, getting a little lost in his plans.

“Yeah.. that sounds nice.” Liv said, trying and failing to keep her voice steady.

“What’s wrong? Did I say something that upset you?”

Liv shook her head and dug her phone out of her pocket.

“My mum sent me a text last night.” She said and showed him her phone.

_“Merry Christmas baby. Can’t make it over this year, I have to work. Will make it up to you in the new year.”_

“Is that what’s bothering you? That your mum’s not coming over for the holidays?”

“Yeah.. I guess. I mean she never said she was coming over.. I just.. hoped she would, you know.”

“You miss her.” Robert said and Liv nodded.

“Yeah.. I mean Aaron and Chas and everyone.. they’re all great but she’s still my mum. And I was kind of hoping we could show her the house and stuff.”

“Well now we can show her when it’s all done, can’t we. We’ll have plenty of room for her to stay here with us. You can have your own bathroom so you won’t have to deal with Aaron’s hair gel anymore.”

“You two have more hair products than all the women in the village combined.” Liv teased and Robert was glad to see her smiling again.

“Hey I just like to look nice, is that a crime?”

“No but those floral shirts you wear are. I can’t believe Aaron agreed to marry you when you wear those crimes against fashion.”

Robert laughed.

“Haven’t you noticed that hoodie I bought him the other day? It has a floral print on it too and he likes it.”

“Only because you bought it and he’s soft like you.”

“Hey, what have I missed?” Aaron said as he entered the house.

“Liv was just insulting my fashion sense again.” Robert told his fiancé and gave him a quick kiss hello. “How did it go?”

“Fine.” Aaron said and gave him a _we’ll talk later_ look. “Are you two skiving again?”

“Only a little.” Robert replied.

“We were planning our Christmas party for next year. Rob wants to spray that fake snow stuff on the windows.”

Aaron scrunched up his face.

“That stuff is a nightmare to get off. Mum had it on the pub windows a few years ago.”

“I like it.” Liv told them. “And we could have those lights hanging from the roof like icicles.”

“Yes! And one of those motion sensor Santa things that plays Christmas songs when you walk past.” Robert said excitedly.

“Yes but I get to pick the songs. Your taste in music is dreadful.” Liv said and Robert laughed. “And a sleigh. We need a sleigh.”

“With reindeer. We could put them out front.”

“Or on the roof. And make it look like they’re taking off.” Liv suggested.

“Yeah we could make that work. And we could probably get more than one tree. The place is big enough.”

“Or we could spell out Merry Christmas in lights!”

“Yeah we’re not doing any of that.” Aaron interrupted.

“And mistletoe. I’m hanging mistletoe everywhere.” Robert said, ignoring Aaron’s protest as he wrapped his arms around his waist. “I want to kiss you under the mistletoe in our own home.”

“Eww no. I’m not spending the entire Christmas watching you two snog each other’s faces off.”

“I’ll buy you one of those sleep masks then to cover your eyes because I’m planning on doing a lot of snogging.” Robert told her and kissed Aaron to prove his point.


End file.
